Who will Make it to NBA Playoffs? 2025 Regular Season will Close with Surprises!

The NBA All-Star game is over, with players now enjoying some more time off before returning to action later this week. What that means is that we are now at the stage of the season where things begin to ramp up a little and the battle for playoff spots begins in earnest. Yes, every win and loss are important over the course of the season, but once we get into the second half of the year, those victories and defeats are a little more amplified. The next few months are going to be huge as the odds on who will make it to NBA Playoffs are heating up.

So we are here to break it all down and to answer some of the questions you guys might have about the 2025 NBA Playoffs, so let’s get to it.

Let’s Talk About the NBA Playoff Format

It wasn’t so very long ago that the NBA playoffs were comprised of the top 8 teams in each conference. That has changed now, though, as the top 10 teams get in, although it is only the top 6 in each conference that are guaranteed a spot in Round 1. The other 4 teams in each conference take part in a play-in series of games to determine the final 8, so there is a chance for a lower team to make their way into the postseason and potentially make some noise after getting through the play-in portion. Once we get past that point, the seeded teams meet up in best of 7 series until we are down to the top team from each conference.

How Things Played Out in the 2024 Season

In the NBA, there tends to be a rather large gap between the top couple of seeds in each conference and the teams that they play in Round 1, which are the teams that come out of the play-in. While what happened last year, or years prior, for that matter, is no guarantee of how things will go this season, it is worth taking a look back to see if and when the surprises happen. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the 2024 playoffs:

• Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2024
  The Boston Celtics clinched the #1 seed in an absolute canter last season, ending the season with the best record in the league overall.
  The remaining top 6 seeds were filled by the Knicks, Bucks, Cavaliers, Magic, and Pacers, while the Sixers and Heat made it through the play-in portion.
  The only surprise in Round 1 came with the #6 seeded Indiana Pacers taking out the Bucks in 6 games.
  They then went on to beat the #2 seeded Knicks in 6 games before finally falling in a sweep to the Boston Celtics in the Conference Final.
• Western Conference Playoffs in 2024
  The West always looked more wide-open, with the Thunder, Nuggets, and Timberwolves all separated by a single game at the top.
  The Clippers, Mavericks, and Suns rounded out the top 6, while the Lakers and Pelicans made it out of the play-in.
  The Dallas Mavericks were the only lower seed to win in the opening round, beating the Clippers in 6 games.
  They then took out the top-seeded Thunder in 6 games, while it was number 3 over #2, with the T-Wolves beating the Nuggets.
  Dallas won the West as the #5 seed, beating Minnesota in 5 games in the Western Final.
• How the 2024 NBA Final Played Out
  This one always looked to be a mismatch, which was exactly how it played out, with the Boston Celtics downing the Mavericks in 5 games.

Breaking Down the Current NBA Season

Now that we know how the playoffs work and how things went last season, it’s now time to turn our attention to how things are playing out this season. We are seeing a lot of the same playoff teams as last season back in the hunt again, but there are also a few that have dropped off this regular season. Of course, with a lot of games still to come, there is time for things to change, all of which we are going to get into in this portion, so let’s get started with the current playoff outlook.

Who Are the Top Contenders for the 2025 NBA Championship?

There are a couple of different ways to look at this specific question, starting with looking at the current standings. Right now, we have the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the Eastern Conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder are ahead in the West. They would seem like obvious choices at the moment, but with so many games still to come, will they still be there at the end? Even if they do end up as the #1 seeds in their respective conferences, people still tend to put their money on teams that are playoff proven. Here is how the bookies currently see things in terms of the odds for the 2025 NBA Championship:

• Boston Celtics +214
• Oklahoma City Thunder +224
• Cleveland Cavaliers +810
• New York Knicks +1200

As you can see, 3 of the top 4 teams on the bookies board are from the Eastern Conference, so the belief seems to be that they have a stronger conference.

Which Teams from Each Conference Are Likely to Make the Playoffs?

Even though there is still a good chunk of the season to be played, there are several teams that look to be a lock for the playoffs. With that in mind, let’s make some predictions for each conference based on how things look now:

• Eastern Conference – The Cleveland Cavaliers are 5 ½ games clear at the top of the East, so unless they totally implode, they will be in. The Boston Celtics also look like an obvious playoff pick, as do the New York Knicks. Outside of those top 3 teams, things start to get a little tighter. The Pacers, Bucks, and Pistons are the other teams in the top 6, but the Magic, Hawks, and Heat are all within striking distance.
• Western Conference – Just like last season, things are tight in the West, other than on the top seed, where the Oklahoma City Thunder have an 8-game lead and a lock for the playoffs. The Grizzlies and Nuggets both look good, but keep an eye on the Lakers, who seem to be on the move after picking up Luka Doncic in a monster trade prior to the All-Star break. It looks as though we are going to have a fantastic battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference coming down the stretch.

Let’s Talk About Things That Could Impact the Playoff Picture

For some teams, the march to the playoffs is well underway, but as history has shown, those marches can come undone for a variety of different reasons, such as other teams getting hot in the second half of the season or injuries starting to take hold. It is amazing how often good form can come undone by an injury to a key player, with their absence upsetting the delicate balance of the team they play for. With all of that said, let’s take a closer look at the current playoff race and how it might change.

How is the Playoff Race Shaping Up in Each Conference?

We partially covered this a little earlier in this piece by talking about the teams that look like good bets to make the playoffs. On the flipside, though, there are some teams that could be in trouble, and who are not what anyone would describe as a lock to be playing beyond the regular season. Let’s dig a little deeper into that:

• Eastern Conference
  For me, the problematic teams are the ones sitting in the play-in zone and below, as their margin of error is greater than those above them.
  Right now, the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are on losing streaks that could see them fall below the cut line, so they need to pick up the pace.
• Western Conference
  The biggest question mark for me in the Western Conference is the Dallas Mavericks.
  They pulled off a massive trade in hopes of shaking things up, but they are still stuck in the play-in zone.

Who Are the Potential Dark Horse Teams?

In terms of making a playoff run, I am going to hold off judgement on that for the moment, as it is often the teams that get hot at the end of the regular season who become the most dangerous. Right now, I have my eye on both the LA Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. They are the teams that made the blockbuster trade that saw Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis switch teams. In these types of trades, one team tends to win while the other loses, but which way will it go? The Lakers are 8-2 in their last 10 games, so things seem to be working for them at the moment.

The Impact of Injuries on a Playoff Run

We are all well aware that injuries are a natural part of professional sports. Every team is going to experience them, but some will be harder hit than others. It really does all come down to which players get bitten by the injury bug. You look at the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the teams that are leading their respective conferences, and you wonder what would happen if they lost one of their starting 5. Are they deep enough to shake it off, or would those losses open the door for a dark horse? Only time will tell.

NBA STANDINGS UPDATE ‼️

▪️ HOU rises to 2 seed in West
▪️ ATL moves to 7-1 in last 8

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— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2024

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